The Newbie
by Spooky Mahimahi
Summary: A newcomer to All Saints catches Charlotte's attention.
1. Chapter 1

I decided that, since Charlotte is my favourite character on the show and seeing as she doesn't seem to get to have much fun, I'd write her a story and give her a life outside of Ward 17. I hope you enjoy. I'd appreciate any constructive feedback.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from All Saints. I'm poor though so please don't sue me!

Rating: There's some rude words and the suggestion of a relationship between to women at first, leading to and eventual relationship.

Author's Notes: please read!! Basically, in terms of a time line, I guess this fits in somewhere in the sixth season but I'm going to take some artistic licence in how I arrange things so basically- Mitch is dead, there's no Dr. Hughes and Rebecca and Scott are still together. It's before the whole Greg incident. If anything sticks out as being really wrong in terms of continuity then ignore-it's meant to be that way :OP Also I'm not a medical professional so any descriptions of medical procedures are products of my own research and at times imagination.

Chapter One

The hospital seemed to glow in the early morning sunshine, giving it a strange beauty that had not occurred to Charlotte before. She paused on her way through the car park to take it in for a moment before continuing on into the building for the start of her shift.  
  
Ward 17 was in its usual state of carefully controlled chaos when she stepped off the elevator and she knew before even looking at the board that it was going to be a long day. She threw Nelson a quick wave and a nod before heading to the tea room. Before she did anything, she would need caffeine and sugar.  
  
Expecting the room to be empty, she was surprised to see an unfamiliar dark haired person sitting with their back towards the door. Whoever it was seemed to be engrossed in a magazine and didn't hear Charlotte enter. She cleared her throat causing the person to jump slightly and turn to face her. The stranger was a young woman with insanely curly hair that was cut short so that it almost looked like an afro. Her blue eyes were wide with surprise. Her cheeks were bulging with, noting the box of Corn Flakes on the table Charlotte assumed to be cereal. Dry cereal judging by the crunching sounds. Charlotte smiled and waited for the woman to finish chewing. Finally she finished and swallowed, wincing as the dry flakes went down.  
  
"There's no milk." The woman rasped sheepishly, her voice softly accented.  
  
"Lucky for me I take my caffeine in black form." Charlotte declared happily and made her way to the sink; grinning at the mournful look the stranger was giving her own mug.  
  
"I take milk in my tea. I had to have orange juice instead." She sighed. Charlotte stirred the appropriate amount of sugar into her coffee and sat down opposite the younger woman.  
  
"Ah well....look at this way, your day couldn't possibly get any worse right?" Charlotte pointed out helpfully. The stranger laughed softly and held up her hand, its fingers crossed.  
  
"Here's hoping Doctor?" The woman extended her hand.  
  
"Beaumont, Charlotte Beaumont." Charlotte took the proffered hand and gave it a friendly shake. "And you are?"  
  
"Isabella. But call me Izzy. Or Doctor O' Neil or Hey you! Which ever works best for you." Izzy grinned. Charlotte nearly choked on her mouthful of coffee.  
  
"You're a doctor?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"Well....yes." Izzy answered, slightly hurt.  
  
"Sorry, I mean, it's just you look so young."  
  
"Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm twenty five. I finished high school when I was fifteen and started pre-med in college when I was sixteen" the young doctor looked down, embarrassed "I was one of those obnoxious gifted types" Izzy finished.  
  
"Wow, will you help me with my homework sometime?" Charlotte joked.  
  
"Only if you're good" Isabella joked back, throwing in a cheeky wink as she brought her dishes to the sink. Charlotte took the opportunity to give the young doctor a quick once over. The woman was tall, tanned, toned and altogether one of the most strikingly beautiful women Charlotte had ever seen. She quickly averted her gaze as Izzy turned back to face her.  
  
"Well, I better get back to it. I'll see you around Doctor Charlotte." Charlotte watched as the newcomer disappeared through the door and back onto the ward, a small smile on her face. Things on Ward 17 had just gotten very interesting.  
  
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Isabella flipped through the chart making note of the change in treatment she had ordered. Behind her she could here Doctor Beaumont talking with another patient. Isabella smiled to herself as she thought back to their earlier meeting.  
  
"Doctor? Did you hear me?" Isabella's head snapped up in surprise, she hadn't realised someone was talking to her.  
  
"I'm sorry Sister, could you repeat that?" she tried to sound nonchalant.  
  
"I said Mrs. Patterson's obs are stable, the new course of medication seems to be doing the trick" Paula repeated herself.  
  
"Good stuff! Ok Mrs Patterson we'll continue to monitor your condition through the night and if all goes well, hopefully we'll be able to discharge you by this time tomorrow" she smiled at the elderly lady in the bed who looked relieved to hear the good news.  
  
"Oh thank you Doctor, I can't wait to get back to my Horace, he doesn't like to be away from me you see" she grasped at Isabella's hand. Isabella looked up at Paula questioningly. The nurse grinned and mouthed 'cat'. The young doctor nodded slightly and turned back to face her patient.  
  
"Well Mrs. Patterson, hopefully you'll be seeing him very soon." Isabella gave the woman's hand a gentle squeeze before ducking from behind the privacy curtain. Regina was waiting on the other side with a brown envelope.  
  
"Here you go Doctor O'Neil, Robert Wall's x-rays" Regina sing-songed.  
  
"Cheers Regina, you're a star" she took the envelope and turned made her way out to the backlight cabinet. Regina watched her go, her head tilted slightly.  
  
"Something wrong Reg?" Charlotte asked from behind the receptionist.  
  
"Isn't she lovely? She's a lovely girl" Reg answered, her tone bordering on what Charlotte could only describe as 'dreamy'. The doctor rolled her eyes at and continued on her way, almost knocking Terri over as she rounded the corner. It was the first Charlotte had seen of the NUM all day.  
  
"Hey Terri, where've you been hiding?" She asked the flustered woman.  
  
"I've been at Budget Review meetings all day" Terri scowled "apparently unless every pencil and paper clip can be satisfactorily accounted for then the Ward is not being run efficiently enough" she finished, clearly exasperated with the whole process. "Actually I've been meaning to talk to you, have you been introduced to Doctor O'Neil yet?"  
  
"Yes we've met. She seems....lovely" Charlotte grinned, mimicking the ward clerk.  
  
"Uh, yes well I was hoping that if you get the chance you could, you know, have a chat to her, answer any questions she has and that kind of thing. The CEO is very anxious that she settles in well, it's not everyday you get a Harvard graduate working for you" Terri finished. Charlotte's eyebrows disappeared into her hairline.  
  
"Harvard? What's she doing here?!" She half joked.  
  
"I have no idea" Terri answered, glancing at her watch "ah, I have to be back upstairs, I'll leave you to it." The flustered NUM turned and fled in the direction of the elevators.  
  
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"We have to stop meeting this way" Charlotte drawled as she came into the tea room to find Doctor O'Neil was again the only other occupant. The young doctor just smiled triumphantly and held up her mug.  
  
"There's milk!" She crowed.  
  
"I'm very happy for you" Charlotte laughed "so....Harvard?" She asked, settling into a chair opposite Isabella who ducked her head and blushed.  
  
"Yeah, um I was offered a track scholarship so, you know I thought why not? I packed my bags and flew off into the great wide open."  
  
"Impressive. So, how are you settling into Sydney?" Charlotte asked casually. She didn't want it to seem like she was being nosy or out to get the gossip.  
  
"Well I landed on Friday, slept all day Saturday and started work on Sunday. So far all I've seen is my hotel room, the back of a taxi and All Saints. What day is it today?"  
  
"Tuesday" Charlotte supplied.  
  
"Wow, ok. I'm off on Thursday so I guess I'll look for a place to live then."  
  
"Well if you need any help or a guide or anything like that, I'd be happy to be of service" Charlotte offered with a friendly smile.  
  
"I'm going to hold you to that Beaumont now be a doll and pass the sugar" Izzy smiled back and batted her eyelashes.  
  
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"Bet you're wishing you'd never offered to help right about now?" Izzy mocked and laughed as Charlotte, who was struggling with another heavy and awkward to carry box, shot her a deadly glare. It had taken nearly two weeks but the young doctor had finally found a house that measured up to her standards and signed a lease. Charlotte had made good on her promise to help and marshalled some extra troops to assist with moving all Isabella's stuff from a storage locker to her new house.  
  
"Hey Izzy where do you want this one?" Scott asked as he hauled another box through the front door.  
  
"What's written on the lid?" She called back.  
  
"Um.... CD's etc" was the answering yell.  
  
"Ok, living room. Thanks Scotty!" She grinned over at Charlotte who rolled her eyes in return. Scott, Alex and Sterlo had all jumped at the chance to help a beautiful woman in her hour of need and had been hauling boxes all day, trying to out do each other in the macho man stakes as Charlotte and Izzy looked on in amusement and at times exasperation.  
  
"He's going to give himself a hernia" Charlotte snickered as Scott grunted and puffed in the other room. The two women looked up as Sterlo stumbled into the room and gracelessly dumped a box labelled 'text books' at Izzy's feet.  
  
"That's the last one Izzy" He wheezed. Charlotte stifled a giggle. The nurse looked ready to collapse.  
  
"That's brilliant! Why don't you grab a beer from the kitchen, you definitely look like you could use one" Izzy smiled. Charlotte waited for him to leave the room before she let loose the laughter she'd been holding in.  
  
"Ever get the feeling that if he had a tail it would be wagging right now?" She chuckled.  
  
"Ah leave the poor guy alone" Izzy admonished but she was smiling "do you want a beer?" Charlotte nodded and watched as the other woman disappeared into the kitchen. She had spent the last couple of weeks helping her new friend look for a place to live and had enjoyed every moment she spent with the woman. Izzy was smart, beautiful and an incredible flirt and Charlotte wasn't surprised to find herself falling for the young doctor. A bottle of beer appeared in front of her and she looked up to see that Izzy had returned with her 'three musketeers' in tow. They all plonked down onto the floor and enjoyed the cool air from the fan and their cold drinks. The day had been hot and all five were sticky and uncomfortable.  
  
"Thanks a million for all your help everyone, I'd never have been able to do this without you guys." Izzy raised her bottle in a toast and the others followed.  
  
"Cheers!" They each took a long drink.  
  
"It was our pleasure Izzy" Alex gushed. Scott and Sterlo nodded vigorously on either side of him.  
  
"I was thinking of maybe having a house party when it's all unpacked. You know, get to know people better?"  
  
"Hey that's a great idea! Why don't you make it a pool party, you can put on a barbecue!?" Scott suggested enthusiastically. There was a fair size pool in Izzy's back yard and a large patio off the kitchen with a built in barbecue. Charlotte had been surprised that the young doctor had been able to afford such a substantial property but had been careful not to pry. Over the last two weeks she had found that Izzy could be quite guarded about things and had learnt to respect her privacy, waiting for her to bring up topics rather than delving in herself. She still knew very little about the woman except that she was from Dublin but had lived in America for the last nine years, which explained the hard-to-place accent.  
  
"Well I suppose there's be no sense in letting all the space out there go to waste" Izzy thought out loud. She turned to face Charlotte. "Hey Beaumont, pool party - Yea or nay?" Charlotte pretended to think seriously for a few moments before answering, taking the time to picture Izzy in a bikini.  
  
"Yea!" She answered finally. Scott high fived Alex leading Charlotte to believe that all three guys had been picturing the same thing. They spent some time going over what supplies would be needed and who should be invited. When Alex suggested there should be a set music list Izzy decided she'd had enough and ushered the three men to the door.  
  
"I am way too tired to be discussing music lists" she yawned as they mock sulked at being uprooted from their cushions and beer. After bidding them all goodbye and thanking them once again for their help she returned to the den where Charlotte was now sprawled ungracefully across the cushions.  
  
"I'm not looking forward to what my muscles will feel like tomorrow" she groaned as she stretched and shifted into a more comfortable position.  
  
"A good run will work all the kinks out!" Izzy suggested. Charlotte just groaned louder. "Do you want to stay for dinner? I'm cooking Chinese take- out" Izzy offered.  
  
"Sounds good to me" Charlotte agreed. Twenty minutes later they were sitting out on the patio eating their dinner and watching the night sky.  
  
"So why did you come to Australia?" Charlotte asked out of the blue.  
  
"I really wanted to see a kangaroo" Izzy answered, taking another bite of her spring roll "and perhaps a koala" she finished.  
  
"You're not much of 'sharer' are you?" Charlotte said seriously, turning to face Izzy. The young doctor just sighed and looked up at the stars.  
  
"It's nothing personal or anything. I just......I'm not a very good....I just can't open up to people easily." Izzy turned and gave Charlotte a sad smile. Charlotte gave her an understanding smile in return and turned back to face the sky.  
  
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"Good afternoon Mr Garcia I'm Doctor O'Neil, I see you've been having some trouble passing water recently" Izzy read down through the man's chart noting the various notations and test results that had been made by the staff in emergency.  
  
"You're my doctor?" the man asked loudly and incredulously, causing a few heads to look up at the disturbance. Izzy rolled her eyes and leaned in to whisper conspiratorially to the patient.  
  
"Well actually I'm the janitor but we're a bit short staffed today so I'll be taking care of you" Izzy deadpanned. She turned to Jared and held up her stethoscope "which bit goes in my ear again Jared?"  
  
"You're a bloody nutter! I'm not having you near me. I want a proper doctor" the man demanded loudly. Terri hurried over from the desk.  
  
"Is everything alright over here?" She asked.  
  
"No it is not! I want a proper doctor." Mr Garcia huffed.  
  
"Well sir, you have a proper doctor. You have one of the best doctors at All Saints in charge of your treatment" Terri indicated Izzy who was trying valiantly to look serious and responsible now that Terri had arrived on the scene.  
  
"You're telling me that she's a real doctor? I have milk in my fridge older than she is!"  
  
"Mr Garcia...." Terri started again but was cut off by the irate man.  
  
"Ah!" He held his hand up" I don't want to hear it, either get me a different doctor or I'm discharging myself." He sat back and crossed his arms. Izzy looked at Terri and shrugged. Jared looked at his shoes and grinned. Terri looked at Mr. Garcia and scowled.  
  
"Fine!" The NUM sighed at last "Mr. Garcia I'll have your care transferred to another doctor. Doctor O'Neil may I speak with you a moment. Izzy nodded and turned to follow Terri to her office, fighting the urge to look back and stick her tongue out at the obstinate patient. They stepped into the NUM's office and Terri closed the door. She sat down in her chair and gestured for Izzy to take the spare seat.  
  
"What happened with Mr. Garcia?" She asked, her expression neutral. Izzy shrugged.  
  
"You saw it Sister, he didn't believe I was a doctor and refused to let me treat him."  
  
"That's all?" Terri asked.  
  
"That's all" Izzy answered sincerely.  
  
"Ok then, you better page Doctor Beaumont and have her examine him. There's a Mr. Murphy on his way up from emergency, you take him instead."  
  
"Yes ma'am!" Izzy stood and mock saluted the NUM who looked up in amusement. She turned to leave before remembering something "oh by the way Sister Sullivan I'm throwing a house-warming, barbecue, and pool-party this Saturday afternoon, I hope you'll be able to make it." She reached forward and grabbed Terri's hand from where it was resting on the table. Before the startled nurse could do or say anything, Izzy had written her address and phone number in pen on the back of Terri's hand and skipped out of the office.  
  
Izzy shut the door behind her and hurried to reception. "Hey Reg, could you page Doctor Beaumont for me when you have a moment?" She asked sweetly.  
  
"No need" a voice in her ear made her jump and yelp in surprise. She turned to see Charlotte grinning evilly.  
  
"You scared the shit out of me! I'm not kidding, Reg page me some clean underwear instead" she called jokingly to the confused clerk. She turned back to Charlotte "Ah Doctor Evil, zee wery woman I neeeed." She said in a ridiculous accent, handing Charlotte Mr. Garcia's chart "happy birthday" she finished and, smiling sweetly, turned and headed towards the elevators. Charlotte looked down at the chart and frowned before calling after Izzy.  
  
"Hey! My Birthday isn't for months and I prefer perfume or jewellery not..." she looked at the chart again "...polycystic kidney disease." Izzy continued on her way, but took the time to flip the bird over her shoulder.  
  
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The day of the party arrived. Charlotte looked out her window, pleased to see that it was a gloriously sunny day out, perfect weather for a barbecue and pool party. She showered and got dressed, checking the clock every five minutes. The party wasn't due to start 'til four. It was only eleven am and Charlotte was beginning to get restless when her phone rang.  
  
"Hello" she answered cheerfully, recognising the number on caller display.  
  
"Morning Doctor Charlotte, how are you this fine day?" Izzy's familiar voice asked from the other end. Charlotte grinned.  
  
"I'm just super. How are you?"  
  
"Well, I'm considerably less than super. Actually I'm kind of stressed. More people than I thought RSVP'd I'm kinda overwhelmed here. Do you think you could come over a little earlier and help me set up?"  
  
"Sure thing. Need me to bring anything?" Charlotte offered, delighted to be given something constructive to do rather than wait around all afternoon. Izzy thought a moment before answering.  
  
"Bring as many chairs as you can fit in your car."  
  
"No problem, I'll see you soon" Charlotte hung up and got busy. Forty minutes later she was pulling up outside Izzy's house. She grabbed as many as the chairs as she could carry and headed up the path. Hearing music coming from the back she decided to head straight around the side passage to the garden. Rounding the corner she set the chairs on the patio and poked her head through the open door.  
  
"Hello?" she called.  
  
"In the kitchen!" Izzy's voice replied. Charlotte made her way to the kitchen and found a very flustered looking Izzy manically peeling a potato.  
  
"Well don't just stand there!" the young woman huffed upon seeing her friend "Grab a knife and get peeling!"  
  
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Three hours and a refrigerator overflowing with salads later they were finished. Charlotte blinked dazedly as she surveyed the spread they had prepared.  
  
"That has to be, without a doubt, the most domestic thing I've ever done" she remarked.  
  
"Me too, I've never done anything like this before, entertained I mean" Izzy noted, looking rather bewildered with everything.  
  
"Relax Doctor, everything will be fine. I know these people, they're not high maintenance" Charlotte reassured her friend.  
  
"Ok. I'm cool. It's all good. Right I'm going to jump in the shower. Grab a drink and I'll be down soon" Izzy disappeared leaving Charlotte to her own devices. It was the first time she had been in the house with everything unpacked and all the furniture arranged so she took the opportunity to have a look around the downstairs area. The dinning room was beside the kitchen and pretty standard- a good sized table surrounded by six chairs. Charlotte moved on to the den which Izzy had turned into a sort of study/office. There was a desk in one corner with a computer, phone and fax machine set up. Above the desk hung her framed Harvard degree that looked like it had just been thrown against the wall judging by the angle at which it was hanging. A battered looking leather couch that Izzy had been delighted to buy off one of the porters for $85 was along one wall and facing a plasma screen TV that had a jumble of games consoles set up in front of it. Charlotte did a double take. The TV was huge and extremely expensive looking. She wondered again how the young doctor could afford such luxuries. Taking one last glance around the den she headed on to the living room. The room was nearly bigger than Charlotte's kitchen, dining area and sitting room combined and was dominated by a large stone fireplace. There was a conspicuous lack of photographs on the mantelpiece or anywhere else in the house. She turned her attention to the two huge bookcases on either side of the fireplace and scanned some of the titles. There was a mixture of popular fiction, history texts, travelogues and science journals as well as a whole shelf devoted to various sports books and biographies. All the books looked well worn and read. Turning her attention to the back of the room, Charlotte noticed for the first time a tall glass, cabinet almost hidden in the corner, displaying a variety of medals and trophies for running, soccer, swimming, some equestrian rosettes and, rather impressively, triathlons. She was busy reading the inscriptions on the trophies when a loud ringing startled her back to reality.  
  
"Can you get the door, I'll be down in a sec" Izzy's voice called from upstairs.  
  
"Sure" she called back and made her way to the front hall. She pulled open the heavy wooden door to find Scott, Rebecca, Sterlo, Jared, Alex and Frances standing on the other side. Sterlo had a colourful inflatable beach ball under one arm and a six pack under the other. Alex and Scott also carried beer while Jared clutched at a bottle of wine and Frances held what looked suspiciously like her speciality green cake. Hellos were exchanged and they trouped out to the garden to set up camp by the pool. The door bell rang again so Charlotte got up to answer since Izzy hadn't come down yet. She opened the door to Paula and Luke and ushered them out to the garden. She was just beginning to wonder if Izzy had fallen asleep in the shower or something when the woman in question made her entrance, bounding out onto the patio with a cheerful 'hello' for everyone. She headed straight to the bin she had filled with ice and fished out a beer for herself, missing entirely the appreciative looks she was getting from practically everyone there. She was wearing the tightest, shortest pair of board shorts ever engineered, flip-flops and a white bikini top and she had managed to wrestle her unruly hair into neat cornrows. Wrap around sun glasses completed the ensemble. The doorbell rang again, snapping everyone out of their respective reveries.  
  
"I'll get this one!" Izzy chirped and went to answer. She returned a few moments later with a slightly uncomfortable looking Nelson and a beaming Regina. Charlotte felt sorry for the guy and motioned for him to join her where she was sitting on the grass. The bell rang again and Izzy darted off, returning with Matt, Von and Terri. Everyone was surprised to see the NUM and downright shocked to see Von. They gave sheepish hellos and went to sit with Nelson and Charlotte while Matt headed over to Scott and Alex.  
  
"Ok then everybody! Looks like we're all here so let's get this shindig started!!" Izzy declared from her position atop a patio chair to a few boisterous cheers and claps. "Alex I name thee DJ, break my stereo and I'll kill you" Alex grinned and darted into the house. "Scott and Sterlo, you have the grill. Everyone else, chill out and have fun!"  
  
Rebecca, Frances, Paula all stripped down and jumped into the pool followed closely by Alex, Izzy, Luke, Jared and a dive bombing Matt as Sterlo set about lighting the grill. Scott appeared from the kitchen with the tray full of steaks and burgers. Charlotte scowled slightly as she watched as Alex pick Izzy up and slam dunk her back into the water, not liking how high his hands and gone, but couldn't help smiling as she saw Izzy re- emerge from the beneath the surface, spluttering and laughing.  
  
It took Charlotte two more beers before she felt brave enough to strip down and join the others in the pool, ignoring the wolf whistle from Matt but the basking in the dazzling smile she got from Izzy. They splashed around and played an unruly game of pool tag before Scott and Sterlo summoned them to 'get their eat on'.  
  
After dinner, the party was still in full swing and everyone, even Von, was enjoying themselves. Izzy stretched out in her lawn chair and took a few minutes to survey the collection of people around her from safely behind her tinted glasses. All the guys bar Nelson were engaged in a rather vigorous game of water volley ball. Frances, Regina, Paula and Rebecca were playing a drinking game involving a deck of cards and a flower pot. Von, Terri, Nelson and Charlotte were sitting at the patio table chatting about hospital politics and the latest gossip. Izzy let her gaze settle on Charlotte. The doctor looked relaxed and happy. If there was one thing that had made all the effort of throwing the party worthwhile it was the opportunity to see Charlotte in her red one piece swimsuit. She let her head drop back and closed her eyes, basking in the last few rays of sun.  
  
Charlotte watched as Izzy settled into a deck chair by the pool. Terri and Von took their chance to escape inside and start the washing up even though Izzy had insisted it be left until morning.  
  
"She's a little young don't you think?" Nelson asked, eyebrow raised as he observed his friend watching the young doctor.  
  
"Huh?" Charlotte tried to sound innocent.  
  
"You know exactly what I mean. Your eyes were practically glued to her ass all day" Nelson supplied helpfully.  
  
"Well" Charlotte started "she's very attractive so, I mean....hey I caught you checking her out earlier when she was in the pool" she pointed accusingly at Nelson.  
  
"I'm pretty sure even Terri was checking her out when she was in the pool" Nelson countered "and anyway, it's not just tonight, I've seen you at work, you can barely keep your eyes off her!" he finished.  
  
"Ok so maybe I have a bit of a crush" Charlotte admitted sheepishly. Nelson gave a triumphant smirk and sipped his coke. She turned her attention back to Izzy who had since been joined by Regina. It had been so long since Charlotte had even considered dating anyone and she wasn't sure that a relationship with Izzy would work out. Nelson did have a point about the age thing; after all there was over ten years in the difference. Still, there was no harm in looking.  
  
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As the sun went down the evening got cooler and the guests began to leave. Scott, Rebecca and Sterlo were the last to troupe out to a waiting taxi. Izzy watched from the door and waved them off as the car disappeared down the street.  
  
"Well, I think it's fair to say that I am officially knackered tired" she sighed as she shuffled into the sitting room.  
  
"Great party though- I think everyone needed the downtime" Charlotte mused thoughtfully from her position on the couch. Izzy made her way over and curled up on the opposite end, facing Charlotte. She dropped her head back to rest on a cushion and closed her eyes.  
  
"I don't suppose I could talk you into carrying me up the stairs?" Izzy asked through another jaw-breaker of a yawn. Charlotte snorted and poked her with her foot in response. Izzy opened one eye and peered at the blonde doctor "You wanna crash in the spare room?" she offered.  
  
"I think that's a good idea, I lost the capacity to operate machinery about five drinks ago" Charlotte accepted.  
  
"Cool, I'll just get you some bed linen and what not then I think I'll turn in for the night. You're welcome to stay up and watch a movie or whatever" Izzy stood and stretched.  
  
"No I think I'll hit the sheets too, no point in delaying the inevitable killer hangover" Charlotte decided, following her friend up the stairs.  
  
Izzy lead the way to the spare room at the front of the house, stopping en route to get sheets and pillow cases from the airing cupboard. The spare room was bright and airy and between them, they had the bed made up in a matter of minutes. An awkward silence settled on the room as they stood surveying their handiwork.  
  
"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it then. The bathroom's across the landing there and I'm the last door on the left if you need anything" Izzy finished and turned to leave walking a few steps before turning back and planting the softest of kisses on Charlotte's cheek. Blushing slightly she left the room.  
  
"Thanks Iz" Charlotte answered belatedly, the room empty. She lifted her hand to touch her face where Izzy's lips had brushed her skin and smiled. That had been, without a doubt, the sweetest moment of her life.  
  
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Charlotte turned over in bed in an attempt to escape the brightness of the sun's rays that were sneaking through the gap in the drapes and hitting her square in the face. Moving her head slowly from side to side, she was relieved to note the lack of pounding headache. She cracked her eyes open. A glance at the alarm clock sitting on the bedside locker informed her that it was 9:45am. Flopping onto her back, she enjoyed a long, languid stretch, feeling various muscles and joints pop and reorganise themselves. Hearing noises coming from downstairs, she threw back the covers and went to investigate. From the foot of the stairs, she could hear music coming from the kitchen. Charlotte didn't recognise the song but she could hear Izzy singing along, slightly off key. She arrived into the kitchen to find the young doctor chopping fruit and piling it into a blender, nodding her head in time with the music.  
  
"Morning" Charlotte called over the noise of the radio. Izzy looked up and smiled warmly, reaching over to lower the volume.  
  
"Ah so you're finally awake!" She teased good naturedly.  
  
"What do you mean finally? It's not even ten! This is early for me!" Charlotte bantered back.  
  
"I never sleep later than 7am" Izzy replied, shaking some sort of powder into the jug and hitting the 'on' switch on the blender, drowning out Charlotte's response. The blonde doctor rolled her eyes and waited for the noise to stop before speaking.  
  
"What have you been up to for the last three hours?" she asked.  
  
"Well, I went for a quick swim, then a two hour run and now "she lifted the jug from the blender and poured its contents into a tall glass "I'm having my protein shake."  
  
Charlotte made a face "you're one of those people" she joked "you make me sick."  
  
Izzy stuck out her tongue in response then downed her shake. "There's cereal and toast and eggs and fruit if you're hungry, or I have aspirin if you'd prefer....how's your head?"  
  
"My head is surprisingly clear thank you! I'll just stick with coffee for now though." Charlotte decided.  
  
"Oh, you're one of those people" Izzy parroted and set about brewing a pot for her guest.  
  
They spent the morning getting the garden and kitchen back in order after the previous night's revelry, enjoying the warm sunshine and each others company. After a quick lunch of leftovers, Charlotte reluctantly took her leave, needing to get back to walk her beloved dog. Izzy too had to get her act together and prepare for her late afternoon shift.  
  
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Pulling into the staff car park, Izzy sent up a quick prayer for a quiet and easy day. She was covering a shift in Emergency and hoped it wouldn't be too incident packed. After stowing her bag in the locker room and clipping her ID onto the front of her shirt she headed out to face whatever the world had to throw at her. Seeing Rebecca doing paperwork at the desk, she went over to get the low down.  
  
"Hey Rebecca, we slow today?" she asked, indicating the empty beds with a nod of her head.  
  
"Oh hey Doc. Yeah so far it's been pretty quiet. There's a head wound in three that needs suturing and we're waiting on films for curtain five and that's it. Great party by the way" the nurse gave Izzy a playful nudge before making her way towards one of the equipment rooms "I'll get you a suture tray."  
  
"Thanks Rebecca" Izzy called to the nurse and went to examine the head wound patient.  
  
Four hours later and Izzy was counting down the minutes 'til the end of her shift. She only had to cover a half shift and was looking forward to getting out of the hospital. It had remained quiet in the ED, without any major traumas and so she had taken the opportunity to write up some of her notes and sign off on old charts that she had been neglecting. She was just finishing the last chart when Rebecca came breathlessly through the lounge door.  
  
"That was dispatch, there's a trauma on its way, multiple stab-wounds. ETA: seven minutes. Doctor Singh is stuck on Ward 5 with a code and I've paged Doctor Roberts but he hasn't responded yet" she informed the doctor. Izzy dropped her pen and stood up, knocking over her carefully stacked pile of paperwork.  
  
"Ok we need to prep. I want a crash cart, chest tube tray, portable x-ray, plenty of O Neg. Page the OR and have them standing by" she rattled off to the nurse who dashed off to set up. Izzy grabbed a gown, gloves and a pair of goggles and followed her. No sooner had she joined Rebecca and the other nurses that Scott and Alex arrived with the trauma on a trolley. Scott was covered with blood.  
  
"Peter Richardson, 34. Multiple stab wounds to the neck, chest and abdomen. Bp 90 over 50. Decreased breath sounds on the left" Scott rattled off.  
  
"OK, on my count – 1, 2, 3!" Izzy counted and pulled the man onto the gurney. The trauma nurses proceeded with hooking him up to various machines. "Mister Richardson can you hear me? Open your eyes sir" she called to the man, using her penlight to check his eyes. "No response: GCS 7. Pupils are fixed and pin-pointed." She listed off a number of standard tests and focused on the man's abdomen which was haemorrhaging badly.  
  
"Pulse-ox is low, 82" a voice called. Izzy swore softly and grabbed a tube from the tray on her left. Alex stopped bagging and stood back to let her work. She flicked on her penlight and leaned in to peer down the man's throat, manoeuvring the tube with her other hand. "I can't see the chords, SUCTION" she yelled. One of the nurses quickly arrived with the suction and cleared the man's throat. Izzy finally got the tube in position "I'm in, bag him." Alex stepped back in and attached the bag.  
  
One of the nurses used a surgical scissors to remove what was left of the man's shirt giving Izzy a good look at the damage. "Ok I have two entrance wounds in the upper left abdominal area" she declared "is there any sign of Doctor Roberts?" she asked.  
  
"No he's still incommunicado" someone answered.  
  
"Page him again! How's the neck?"  
  
"Neck wound is superficial, no arterial damage, just a deep laceration" Rebecca called.  
  
"I've another entrance wound, upper left chest" Izzy listened carefully with her stethoscope "he has a hemopneumothorax. Get me the chest tube tray. Hang 3 units of O Neg. Has anyone called Surgical?"  
  
"Doctor Forlano is on his way" someone answered. Izzy grabbed the scalpel from the chest tube tray, making an incision between the man's ribs. Using her middle finger she pushed through and introduced the chest tube. Once it was in position she quickly sutured it to secure it.  
  
"Pulse-ox is up, 85" someone called. Izzy listened as the staff updated her on the man's obs. "Ok give him a gram of cotetan. She turned her attention back to the patient's abdomen. Peeling back the soaking pressure pads so she was able to see the exact position of each wound, she used some suction to get a closer look. "I need a portable ultra-sound" she called. A few seconds later one was thrust into arms. She ran the wand over his stomach and looked at the blurry image on the display screen. Luke arrived behind her.  
  
"What have we got?" he demanded. Izzy rattled off the man's injuries and listed the tests and treatment she'd preformed "he's bleeding into his abdominal cavity, looks like whatever angle the knife went in it nicked the spleen" she finished, handing off the ultra-sound and reapplying pressure to the wounds.  
  
"Ok lets get moving people, the OR is ready" Luke took over from Izzy and jogged alongside the trolley as it was wheeled to the elevators. Scott, Rebecca and Izzy watched as they trauma disappeared down the corridor and out of sight.  
  
"Shit" Izzy swore softly.  
  
"Yeah" Rebecca agreed. She turned to Scott "what happened?" Scott peeled off his gloves and flung them onto the pile of bloody gauze and other waste on the floor.  
  
"His wife went at him with a butcher's knife 'cause he wouldn't leave the sofa and cut the grass" he answered incredulously. Izzy ripped off her gloves, gown and glasses.  
  
"Just where the hell is Doctor Roberts?" She demanded angrily. Rebecca sighed and shrugged.  
  
"I paged him three times. I'm sorry Doctor" she apologised. Izzy calmed down and addressed the nurse in a softer tone.  
  
"Hey, look I didn't mean to snap. It's not your fault he's an irresponsible prick" she apologised before stalking off to the locker room. She stripped quickly out of her bloodstained clothes, cursing the inefficiency of the paper gown she'd been wearing. Pulling on a pair of scrubs and tossing her ruined outfit into her locker to deal with another day, she grabbed her bag and stormed back out to the ED. "I'm off!" she called to Rebecca and disappeared out the door. She was going to go home, run a long, hot bath and switch off, leaving the trials of the day behind her. Remembering that she had a day off coming up, she allowed herself to calm down a little. By the time she reached her car, she was almost back to her earlier good mood.  
  
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Charlotte sighed and collapsed into an empty chair in the tea room. Nelson looked up from is newspaper at the mini-commotion.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" he asked, his tone unsympathetic but his warm brown eyes betraying his genuine concern for his friend.  
  
"Nothing, it's just been a slow day and I'm bored and I want to go home and....and.....that's it" Charlotte replied, biting at a nail in frustration. Nelson put his paper down and levelled the blonde with a calculating stare.  
  
"I see" he narrowed his eyes "and that fact that you've been practically climbing the walls all day has nothing to do with the fact that a certain young physician is off today?" He raised an eyebrow in question. Charlotte huffed and pretended not to hear him. "Yeah I thought so" he smirked and turned his attention back to his newspaper.  
  
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Izzy looked squinted at the odometer mounted on her handlebars and she watched the numbers climb- 35, 40, 45..... She pedalled harder grinning as the figure levelled off at 67km/h. She was ripping down the hill at breakneck speed, enjoying the feel of the wind whipping through her hair after the long, sweaty climb to the top. Dropping her head back down, she concentrated on her cadence, watching as the smooth tarmac disappeared beneath her thin racing tyres. Cycling was a therapy for Izzy- she used the time in the saddle to sort out her demons and leave behind the pressures and frustrations of her job. But the most rewarding aspect was overcoming the immense physical challenge it posed, pushing herself right to the brink of collapse in order to overcome the pain and fatigue and finish the 'race'. It had been a long time since she had raced but she still tried to rack up at least 200 kilometres a week. The road levelled off and her speed slowed to 23km/h. She pedalled evenly and maintained the speed as she dodged in and out of traffic, noting idly that she was only a few blocks from All Saints. She turned into a residential area and left the gridlock behind, giving herself more freedom on the empty road to manoeuvre. A faint clicking noise coming from her derailleur began to grate on Izzy's nerves. Distracted, she bent low and tried to get a look at the mechanism, wondering if something had become lodged in it. In the split second she took her eyes off the road, she missed the small pothole in the otherwise smooth tarmac. Her front tyre buckled causing the bike to slide sideways into the path of an oncoming car. Unable to gain control of her bike and knowing she'd never be able to free her shoes from where they were cleated to her pedals in time she spent the last moments before impact wondering if her life would flash before her eyes.  
  
Continued In Chapter 2 


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO  
  
Scott replaced the radio-mike onto its mount on the dashboard and pulled out a street map from the glove-box.  
  
"Pine Road, cyclist collided with an oncoming vehicle" he called to Alex over the noise of the siren "take the next left." A few short minutes later they arrived at the scene. The police had beaten them to it and set up a traffic diversion, making the area safe from any further mishaps. Scott jumped down from the cab and jogged around to pull some gear from the back of the rig. He waited for Alex to get his stuff before approaching the scene of the accident. One of the police officers joined them to fill them in on what had happened.  
  
"G'day guys. There's only one casualty, the young woman who was riding the bike. The impact was side on and she was unconscious but seems to be coming around now" he informed the paramedics. They reached the victim and Scott kneeled down alongside her. He gasped in recognition.  
  
"Alex, it's Doctor O'Neil" he informed his partner. "Izzy, Izzy can you hear me?" He called to the injured woman who moaned in response. "Come on Izzy, open your eyes?" He called again. This time her eyes flickered and opened slowly and she tried to sit up. "Whoa! Easy there. Try not to move Izzy, you've had a bit of an accident, I'm gonna have to put this collar on you to immobilize your head" Scott reached forward and gently secured the collar around her neck. She groaned slightly and glared at him.  
  
"I'm fine Scotty, just a couple of bumps" she croaked unconvincingly.  
  
"Well, from where I'm sitting it's looking more like a concussion not to mention a nasty rip on your knee" Alex scolded, glancing at the large gash running down her right leg. He slipped an oxygen mask over her head before disappearing to get more equipment.  
  
Scott pressed slightly on Izzy's side where she had impacted with the car, causing her to gasp in and swear loudly. "And broken ribs" she mumbled glumly once the worst of the pain had passed. Alex reappeared with a backboard and they carefully rolled her onto it. She moaned again and went limp, the movement causing excruciating pain to rip through her body.  
  
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Rebecca slipped on a pair of gloves and joined Doctor Singh where he was waiting for the arrival of the injured cyclist. Scott had called ahead to say they were only a few minutes out and moments later they burst through the two way doors. Alex recited the patient's stats to the doctor as they lifted her carefully from the trolley onto one of the beds. Rebecca saw the woman's face for the first time.  
  
"Izzy?" she looked up at Scott who nodded in the affirmative.  
  
"Ok let's stabilise her and get her up to x-ray, I want films of her head, chest, shoulder, spine and right leg" Doctor Singh ordered. The nurses bustled about, hooking Izzy up to monitors and prepping her for x-ray. Scott and Alex stood back to let them work, waiting to retrieve their equipment.  
  
"I think I'll run up and talk to Charlotte" Scott decided, knowing how close the two women were.  
  
"I'll stay here" Alex volunteered. Scott nodded his thanks and headed to the elevators.  
  
He stepped off onto Ward 17 and made his way to the desk.  
  
"Hey Reg, is Doctor Beaumont around?" he asked the clerk.  
  
"Tea room" the woman answered absently, too engrossed in the folder in front of her to look up. The tall ambo gave her a quick 'thank you' and continued on his way. He poked his head around the tea room door to find Charlotte talking to Nelson.  
  
"G'day Scotty, what you doing up here?" she asked, sipping at her coffee.  
  
"Looking for you actually" he filled the blonde doctor in on the details of the accident and Izzy's condition. "I thought you'd want to know" he finished.  
  
"Thanks mate" she jumped up from the table and followed him back down to the Emergency Department. They arrived downstairs to find that Izzy had been brought to get x-rays.  
  
"She's regained consciousness" Rebecca informed them "but she was in a lot of pain so we had to give her morphine. She's pretty out of it" she finished as Charlotte's beeper went off. The blonde doctor pulled it from her waistband and checked the display, cursing under her breath when she saw the number.  
  
"I have to get back to the ward. Page me when Izzy's back from x-ray" she called to Rebecca before darting off.  
  
An hour later, an unhappy Izzy was wheeled on a trolley onto Ward 17. Her head had been stitched up and was swathed in bandages, leaving her unruly hair to poke out the top at wild angles. The right side of her face was raw from where she had grazed it on the tarmac and beneath the covers, her knee had been sewn shut and strapped. Her right side was bruised from her shoulder down to her waist. Terri, Charlotte and Nelson were waiting for her at the desk.  
  
"Isabella how are you feeling" Terri asked kindly. Izzy squinted up at the NUM, her blurred vision making her see double.  
  
"I feel fine, you should discharge me" she slurred.  
  
"You have a fractured skull" Terri pointed out.  
  
"It's just a wee crack" Izzy argued weakly, blinking rapidly as the room started spinning around her. Without warning she turned her head and threw up all over Charlotte.  
  
"Ok let's get her settled into room one. Nelson, she's your patient" Terri ordered before stepping around Charlotte and returning to her office. The blonde doctor was left standing in the middle of the corridor, covered in vomit.  
  
Once she's cleaned herself up and changed into fresh clothes, Charlotte let herself into Izzy's room and shut the door quietly behind her. The patient stirred and turned her head to face the blonde doctor.  
  
"Hey good looking" she leered, giving the bemused doctor an exaggerated wink.  
  
"Hey yourself" Charlotte grinned, used to hearing the uninhibited things people said under the influence of morphine. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"I have a headache and it hurts to breathe" Izzy moaned.  
  
"Iz, you were riding without a helmet. No offence, but you're an idiot" Charlotte scolded.  
  
"Those things give me hat-hair" she argued weakly. Charlotte pursed her lips and shook her head, unimpressed. "I'm sorry Charlotte" Izzy closed her eyes and turned away from her friend "will you sit with me?"  
  
"Yeah, sure" Charlotte pulled a seat over to the side of the bed and, without thinking, reached over and took her friend's hand and held it in her own. The injured woman soon drifted off into a drug induced sleep. Charlotte waited until she was sure Izzy was out for the count before creeping out of the room.  
  
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Charlotte tried three of the keys in the bunch before she found the right one. Pushing the heavy door open she stepped into the dark hall and flicked on the lights. She had debated whether or not to do this, hoping her very private friend would appreciate the gesture and not be upset. Deciding to get on with it, the blonde doctor made her way the upstairs and down the landing to Izzy's bedroom where she hesitated a moment before entering.  
  
The room was large and sparsely decorated. A king-size futon was situated beneath a large window at the far end of the room facing the door. Another door on the right hand side of the bed led to a walk in closet and en suite bathroom. An antique dressing table in the corner caught Charlotte's attention and she found herself drawn towards it. The entire surface was covered with framed photographs, the only photographs in the entire house. She scanned each picture carefully.  
  
The first one was of a much younger Izzy sitting on a horse while a young boy stood alongside holding the reigns. Both were pulling faces at the camera. Another showed Izzy and the same boy sitting with their arms slung around one another's necks. They looked older in this one, perhaps twelve or thirteen and they were standing in front of what looked like the Coliseum in Rome. Charlotte looked closely at the boy's face and decided that he had to be Izzy's brother. They had identical expressions and features. The next picture showed the brother and sister standing in front of a man and woman in what was a typical family portrait pose, leading Charlotte to conclude that the couple were Izzy's parents. The man was tall and handsome with fair skin and blue eyes while the woman was petit and beautiful, with dark skin, curly brown hair and soulful brown eyes. The two smiling children had their father's height and facial attributes and their mother's colouring.  
  
Charlotte gazed at the photos. Izzy had never talked about her family and Charlotte began to wonder if there was some connection between her friend's tendency to be reserved and the fact that there were no more recent pictures of anyone in her family on the dresser. Shaking herself out of her musings, she crossed the room to the closet where she found a gym bag on one of the shelves. She filled it with some toiletries and clothes for Izzy to have in hospital and once she had everything, she took one last look around the quiet room and left, closing the door softly behind her.  
  
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Izzy awoke with a start, disorientated by her unfamiliar surroundings. The room was slightly dark and smelled funny. Slowly, awareness dawned on her as she recalled the moments before the accident and her trip to the Emergency Department. She carefully turned her head from side to side. There was still a dull ache radiating from the side of her head that had hit the road but the pain was bearable. Encouraged by this she experimented with sitting up. There was an excruciating jolt of pain from her bruised and broken ribs. Gritting her teeth, she ignored it and pushed her blankets back to examine her leg. Her knee was heavily bandaged and she could feel the familiar itch of stitches beneath the material. Taking a moment to get used to the various sensations coursing through her battered body, she carefully swung her legs over the edge of the bed and eased herself into a standing position. Her knee burned where it had split open but she was pleased at the absence of pain in the actual joint. Favouring her left, uninjured side, she took a cautious step forward, leaning heavily on her IV stand for support. Her side ached with the effort but otherwise she felt surprisingly ok. She took another few steps until she reached the end of the bed and unhooked her chart from where it was hanging on the rail. A quick glance through it confirmed her assumption that she'd been thoroughly battered but was otherwise alright. Relieved to find that all her internal organs were intact and fully operational, she turned to make her way back to bed. She had only taken a few steps when the door opened and Terri walked in.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?!" the NUM demanded, moving to help Izzy back into bed.  
  
"Oh hello Terri" Izzy greeted innocently "I was just....." Charlotte's arrival on the scene cut short her reply.  
  
"Iz? What are you doing standing there with your ass hanging out? Get back into bed!" Charlotte chastised and went to help Terri get the young woman back under the covers. Izzy blushed, noticing for the first time that she was clad only in a flimsy hospital gown. They got her settled and Charlotte stood back while Terri checked Izzy's dressing to make sure she hadn't opened anything by moving around. Satisfied all the stitches were intact and no further damage had been done, the NUM finished and left the room.  
  
"It's good to finally see you lucid" Charlotte smirked once the door closed behind Terri.  
  
"Well allow me to kick your ribs in, Beaumont, and see how quickly you cry for morphine" Izzy huffed in response.  
  
"Now now, no need to get crabby with me, I come bearing gifts" Charlotte declared, holding up the gym bag "I dropped by your place and grabbed some essentials for you. Toothbrush, nightclothes and that kind of thing" she put the back to one side.  
  
"Thanks Charlotte I appreciate that, these gowns aren't a good look for me" she joked, pulling at the stiff material.  
  
"Those gowns aren't a good look for anyone, smartass."  
  
"Charlotte, have I ever told you what an amazing doctor I think you are?" Izzy asked sweetly, batting her eyelids for effect. Charlotte narrowed her eyes suspiciously.  
  
"What do you want?" she asked immediately.  
  
"I want to go home" Izzy cut to the chase.  
  
"No way, you're stuck here 'til I say otherwise" the blonde doctor declared.  
  
"Please Charlotte? I'll be good, I'll stay in bed and if you give me one of those cone things for around my head, I won't be able to scratch my stitches out." The stubborn patient joked, giving her best puppy dog expression  
  
"No Iz, I'm putting my foot down on this, I'm not discharging you until you're mobility improves and I'm satisfied you'll be able to look after yourself." Izzy huffed and crossed her arms, forgetting momentarily about the injury to her side. There was an unexpected twinge of pain and though she managed to suppress a groan, the look of barely disguised agony on her face gave her away.  
  
"Fine!" Izzy huffed. "You should know that, as of this moment, I officially hate you. Now hand me the remote" she groused. Charlotte gave her friend a mock hurt expression before handing her the device and making her exit, promising to check back after her rounds.  
  
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After three days of moaning and giving out about the quality of the food and the lack of anything decent on the TV, Charlotte finally caved and signed Izzy's discharge papers. Her wounds were clean and healing well and her breathing had improved as the pain in her side eased. A final scan of her head showed that the swelling had gone down and, though she was still experiencing the occasional headache, there was no permanent damage. Matt arrived at her bedside with the requisite wheelchair and she eased herself into it, a satisfied grin on her face.  
  
"Come on Mattie, let's blow this Popsicle joint" she called to the bleached orderly.  
  
"Not so fast!" Terri halted them, holding up a hand. Matt brought them to a screeching halt. The NUM held up a plastic bag containing pill bottles and a sheet of paper. "Your pain meds and post-discharge instructions" she declared, handing it all over.  
  
"Thanks Terri. I know I was a bit of a brat, but I really appreciate everything everyone's done for me. I wouldn't have wanted to be on any other ward" Izzy smiled sincerely.  
  
"You're welcome. Now go!" Terri stood back as Matt took off once more, nearly ploughing into a crash cart before disappearing out the door and into the elevator. They rode it to the ground floor and made their way to the exit where Charlotte was waiting in the car.  
  
"End of the road babe" Matt called and put the brake on before stepping around to open the car door. Izzy eased herself in and he pushed it closed. She waved her thanks and turned to the driver.  
  
"Home Jeeves, and don't spare the horses" she ordered.  
  
"Hey! That's Doctor Jeeves to you" Charlotte put the car in gear and pulled away. They coasted through the late afternoon traffic, chatting about this and that until they arrived at their destination. Izzy shuffled carefully up the drive while Charlotte grabbed her bag from the trunk.  
  
"Ah! Home sweet home" the brunette sighed, making her way to the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door and winced at the putrid smell that emanated from an unmarked container on the middle shelf. She gingerly peeled back the cover and peeked carefully inside. "Oops, forgot about that" she muttered and threw it towards the bin, giving herself a mental high five when it reached its target. Charlotte joined her and peered over her shoulder.  
  
"Good to see you're following a balanced diet" she remarked dryly.  
  
"You'll note I have all the major food groups" Izzy indicated the near- barren shelves "beer, chocolate, soda and some sort of mystery fungus" she grabbed two of the soda cans and handed one to her friend before shutting the door and limping into the den. They settled themselves into the battered couch and popped the tabs on their drinks.  
  
"Welcome home" Charlotte raised her can.  
  
"It's good to be back" Izzy did likewise before taking a long drink. Finding the remote behind a cushion she flipped through the channels before deciding on the sci-fi network. Charlotte raised an eyebrow in surprise.  
  
"You're a trekkie?" She asked.  
  
"Live long and prosper baby" was the cheerful reply. Charlotte rolled her eyes.  
  
"Geek" she muttered under her breath. A cushion to her face was the only reply.  
  
Izzy sat engrossed, watching as Captain Kirk wrestled sans shirt with a three headed serpent. Charlotte had long ago lost interest and was instead stretched out on the floor flicking through a magazine. She heard the distinctive theme music and looked up, happily noting the credits roll up the screen.  
  
"Awww is it over already?" she mocked. Izzy once again chose to ignore the teasing comment and stood slowly up from the couch.  
  
"I'm going out to the garage, feel free to stay here and keep watching, it's a 24 hour Trek marathon" she offered. Charlotte jumped up from the floor and followed Izzy out.  
  
"I think I'll leave it this time. What are you doing out in the garage?"  
  
"Well Alex picked what's left of my bike up from the cops. It should be out here" she limped out through the kitchen and to the door that lead to the garage. Flipping on the light she hopped her way down the short flight of steps. The bike in question was in a crumpled heap in the middle of the floor. Charlotte looked around while Izzy inspected the twisted metal. The garage, which was big enough for two cars, was packed with bits and pieces of bikes and equipment. A rack on the far side near the doors held three racing bikes and two mountain bikes. There were spare wheels and tyres strewn around the floor and the workbench that took up half of the back wall was littered with tools and bits of gear mechanisms. The walls were covered in posters of different cyclists and races from around the world. A small rail held all Izzy's colourful jerseys and unflattering looking padded Lycra shorts.  
  
"Where did all this come from?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"Oh, I had it shipped over from the States once I got settled in" Izzy answered distractedly. Charlotte joined her where she was examining the 'dead' bike. The frame was bent and twisted and the front wheel was buckled almost in half. "Apparently another car ran over the bike after I came off" Izzy explained. Charlotte nodded and poked at the heap with her toe. Something dropped off the chain mechanism.  
  
"Oops."  
  
"Don't worry about it, it's all lost. I thought I'd be able to salvage something but it looks like now all I have is ten thousand dollars worth of scrap" Izzy shook her head morosely.  
  
"I'm sorry; did you just say ten THOUSAND dollars?" Charlotte repeated incredulously. Izzy looked up and nodded.  
  
"It was custom designed and built for me. All the mechanics were top of the line. It was my favourite" Izzy finished and sighed dejectedly. Charlotte shook her head in wonder as she looked at the remains of the bike, idly wondering if her friend had insurance.  
  
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Two weeks later Izzy was back on Ward 17 in her capacity as doctor rather than patient and once she'd endured the requisite amount of good-natured ribbing from her friends for all the hassle she'd given them, life returned to normal. She had spent the majority of her sick leave moping around the house, limited to what she could do by her injured ribs so she was delighted to be back at work.  
  
"This is Rachel Belmont, seventeen years old. Admitted this morning with severe abdominal pain. Scheduled for an appendectomy at twelve" Rebecca presented, handing the girl's chart to Izzy.  
  
"Thanks Rebecca. Hi Rachel my name's Terri" the NUM greeted. "Frances here will get you settled and Doctor O'Neil will check in on you then. Is there anything you need?" she asked. The girl shook her head. "Ok, room four Matt please."  
  
Izzy slipped the chart under her arm and followed them. She pulled the curtain around the cubicle for privacy while Frances helped the girl into bed. Once she was comfortable the nurse took her blood pressure and other vitals.  
  
"Ok Rachel you're still a little dehydrated from all the vomiting so I'm going to give you some more fluids in your IV. Doctor Forlano will be performing your operation and he'll be down shortly to have a chat to you about it. Is there anything I can get you in the meantime?" Izzy offered.  
  
"Is my mum here yet? They called her at school" she asked softly. Izzy looked to Frances who shrugged.  
  
"I'll call downstairs and see what the story is. Try and relax until Doctor Forlano sees you, I'll be back shortly to see how you are" Izzy promised and ducked out from behind the curtain. She made her way to the desk. Reg can you page me when Luke gets here, I'll be in Emergency" she called to the clerk and headed to the elevators. A familiar blonde figure was standing in front of the doors.  
  
"Going down?" Izzy smirked at her friend, wagging her eyebrows for effect. Charlotte pretended to frown at the saucy comment.  
  
"Smooth Iz" she drawled in an unimpressed tone.  
  
"Oh you love it" the young doctor retorted cockily at her friend. "Wanna hit Cougars later? I'm planning a celebratory 'I'm-off-my-meds-and-can- drink-again' drink if you're interested."  
  
"I suppose I could pencil it in, you buying?" Charlotte enquired.  
  
"If you're good" was the cheeky response. Charlotte saw the opening for a suggestive remark of her own.  
  
"Oh I'm verrry good" she purred before stepping off onto Ward 8. Izzy watched her go grinning at the exchange that had just occurred. The doors closed again, cutting off her view.  
  
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Izzy made her enquiries in Emergency and returned to the ward, bumping into Luke on the way.  
  
"Luke you here to see my appendix girl?" she asked the tall surgeon.  
  
"Indeed I am doctor. Lead the way" he replied and gestured for Izzy to walk on. They navigated their way to room 4 where the young girl was sitting up in bed.  
  
"Hi Rachel, how are you doing?" Izzy asked, handing over the girl's chart to Luke.  
  
"I can't get comfortable" the patient winced and squirming slightly in the bed.  
  
"I know how you feel. It'll be much better after the surgery, I promise" Izzy assured her. "I checked with the nurse who admitted you downstairs and she says you mum is on her way in and should be here before you go for your operation. Now this is Doctor Forlano. He'll be your surgeon this afternoon. Don't let the hair fool you, he's actually quite good" Izzy joked. The teasing had its desired effect and Rachel smiled for the first time since she had arrived on the ward. Izzy turned to Luke who was scowling slightly "I'll leave you to it then doc. Rachel I will see you before your operation" she gave the girl one last reassuring smile before taking her leave.  
  
The ward was unusually quiet so she took the opportunity to chill out a little and have a cup of tea and something to eat. Nelson was in the tea room nose buried in the obligatory newspaper. He looked up briefly when she came in and gave her a small nod before returning his attention to the article. Izzy boiled the kettle and brewed a pot of tea. She hummed softly to herself as she waited for the tea to stew a little before pouring a mug full and sitting down opposite the nurse.  
  
Deciding to have a little fun, she sat back, crossed her arms and proceeded to stare intently at the top of Nelson's head. Sensing the scrutiny, he looked up and gave her a questioning look. Ignoring it, she simply smiled back.  
  
"What?" he asked slightly irritated.  
  
"What?" she asked back innocently.  
  
"What are you looking at?" He asked again.  
  
"Your hair, it's looking lovely today" Izzy smirked as Nelson raised a self conscious hand to feel the top of his head.  
  
"Are you sure they found no damage when they scanned your head?" he asked the grinning doctor.  
  
"No....well nothing new anyway" she tapped the back of a teaspoon against her forehead. Nelson stared at her, not sure what to make of it all. Izzy continued to smile serenely at him.  
  
"Ok, well....uh...my break's over so I better....." he nodded to the door and stood up, giving her one last strange look before fleeing. Izzy leaned over and grabbed his paper, chuckling to herself. She had gotten to know him a little when he had been nursing her and discovered that she really liked the guy but found that sometimes he could be far too serious. She justified messing about with him as her duty as a doctor to get him to lighten up a little. She unfolded the paper, flicked open to the sports pages and took a long, slow sip of tea.  
  
Half an hour later, Frances popped her head round the tea room door to find Izzy working her way through the paper's crossword puzzle.  
  
"Doctor O' Neil, Rachel Belmont is heading for surgery now" she informed Izzy. The dark haired woman nodded and scribbled in the last answer before dropping the pen and following Frances back onto the ward. Matt and another orderly were adjusting the guard rails on Rachel's bed, preparing it for the move upstairs. The young woman looked petrified and Izzy noticed that there was still no sign of her mother.  
  
"Alright Rachel, are you ready to roll?" she asked, keeping her tone light in an effort to reassure the young girl.  
  
"I'm scared doctor" Rachel whimpered, clutching at the bedcovers.  
  
"Try not to think about it sweetie" Izzy soothed "you'll be asleep the whole time and when you wake up you'll be back here and it will all be over." The patient still didn't look convinced.  
  
"Would you like me to come up with you?" Frances offered gently. The young girl sniffed and nodded glumly. Izzy nodded at Matt who pushed the bed out towards the elevators.  
  
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Charlotte heard the taxi beeping downstairs and grabbed her keys and wallet. She was meeting Izzy in Cougars at nine and had decided to get a cab over so she could let her hair down and have a few drinks and not have to worry about driving. Locking her door she jogged out to the waiting car and hopped in.  
  
"Cougars bar please mate" she called to the driver who nodded and turned the car before heading in the direction of town. Charlotte looked out the window, barely noticing the route they were taking she was so deep in thought. Since Izzy had suggested going for a drink earlier in the day, the blonde doctor had been wondering if the whole 'off my meds' celebration was just pretence.  
  
Her thoughts turned back to the day of the accident. Although she had managed to maintain her cool, professional exterior, when she had heard the details of the accident she had nearly lost her lunch. It had been a wake up call of sorts. Up until that point she had more or less decided not to pursue anything more than friendship with Izzy but the events of that day had been causing her to re-evaluate that decision. She began going over the pros and cons in her head and found there were a whole lot more pros in the equation- Izzy was smart, funny and beautiful and Charlotte was definitely attracted to her, the young doctor had more or less made it clear that she felt the same way so she wasn't too worried about being knocked back which was a definite 'pro'. She thought through the cons, realising that everything was down to her. The only thing holding Charlotte back was Charlotte. Once she realised this, it became simple. The ball was in her court. All she had to decide was whether to banish any notions of romance and continue on her current path through life, or 'seize the day' and take the plunge. Charlotte thought about it the whole journey and by the time they arrived she had come to her decision. Paying the driver, she stepped out of the club and stood in front of the bar. Her mind made up, she took a deep breath and went in.  
  
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Izzy sipped from her bottle of beer and checked her watch. She had got to Cougars a little earlier and so decided to go ahead and order a drink while she waited. She took a seat at the bar where she could watch the door and look out for her friend. She was looking forward to the impromptu night out. Her suggestion to go for a drink had been total spur of the moment but she was glad she had made it all the same, even if the whole 'off my meds' thing had sounded incredibly lame.  
  
She fiddled with the edge of the label that had come away from the cold bottle before peeling it off completely, ripping it into little pieces and crumbling them into a nearby ash tray. Somewhere in the back of her mind she remembered someone once saying that people who peel labels off bottles were sexually frustrated and chuckled softly to herself. The last shred of soggy paper ended up in the ash tray and she checked her watch again. Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck prickle she shivered and looked up, seeing Charlotte step through the door. Izzy took a deep breath and turned to face her friend, tingling with anticipation about what the night would bring.  
  
Continued in Chapter 3 


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note Hey all! Just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your support so far and for your patience. I know this chapter was a long time coming! A whole heap of stuff came up and it all just snowballed and left me with little time to write. Also the whole broken nose thing knocked me for six as well!! Anyway, thanks again and now on with the show! Enjoy!

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Chapter 3

Charlotte stepped through the bar doors and scanned the crowded room, searching out her friend. She spotted the familiar silhouette of frizzy hair sitting at the bar just as its owner turned and gave a small wave. Charlotte nodded in acknowledgement and smiled, making her way towards the bar.

"Hey!" Izzy greeted cheerily.

"Hey yourself. Am I late?" Charlotte asked, nodding at Izzy's empty beer bottle.

"You're pretty much bang on time actually. I was early" Izzy grinned sheepishly "what will you have?"

"Hmmmm. Make it something colourful, fruity and loaded with alcohol and little umbrellas" Charlotte decided.

"Oookkkk" Izzy frowned slightly, not knowing what the hell to order. She turned to the waiting barman "did you get all that?" He smiled and nodded, taking various bottles down from the well stocked shelves. "Ok great. I'll stick with the Corona mate" she ordered for herself. Charlotte indicated an empty table and they moved over and sat down.

"So..." Charlotte started as they waited on their drinks "...how you liking Aussie nightlife?"

"Well this is pretty much my first outing" Izzy commented "but so far, I'm loving it!" she finished, waggling her eyebrows at Charlotte. The arrival of their drinks stalled the conversation momentarily as Charlotte stopped talking to search through the various umbrellas and trinkets coming out the top of her glass for her straw. She found it at last and took a long sip.

"Mmmm, sweet" she commented "want a taste?" She offered the glass to Izzy who wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Oh God no, you're alright there, I'll stick with beer thanks" she declined quickly.

"Suit yourself!" Charlotte took another long sip and smacked her lips. They sat in comfortable silence for a while, neither one sure how to restart the conversation. Izzy nibbled thoughtfully at the slice of lime that had come wedged in the top of her beer bottle. She looked up at Charlotte, who was messing with one of the decorations from her glass.

"I had one of those near death experiences you know" Izzy blurted suddenly. Charlotte raised a questioning eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate. "When I crashed my bike" Izzy explained.

"Ah I see. What was it like, a light at the end of a tunnel? The ghost of Christmas past?" Charlotte asked, keeping her tone light.

"No you cynic, my life flashed before my eyes, so to speak, and I had an epiphany" Izzy replied.

"Was the epiphany 'wear my helmet next time'?" Charlotte joked. She knew her friend was trying to be serious but she couldn't resist the opportunity to get a dig in.

"No" Izzy scowled "now do you want to hear my story or not?" She demanded impatiently.

"Sorry" Charlotte held a placating hand up "continue, please."

"Ok so as I was saying, my life flashed before my eyes. Well, not all of it, mostly just the important bits; my first day of school for example. That was one of the best days of my life" Izzy remembered fondly.

"You are such a nerd" Charlotte scoffed and took another sip of her cocktail. Izzy gave her the two fingered salute.

"Yeah I'm a nerd, get over it Blondie. So, anyway, like I was saying, when I was in hospital, all I could think about, apart from elaborate schemes for world domination and different ways to escape the ward, was the trip down memory lane my mind took before I conked out."

"And...?" Charlotte asked, leaning slightly towards Izzy

"And it was...well it was mostly pretty depressing stuff."

"Go on" Charlotte urged. She had never known Izzy to open up like this before and she wanted to learn as much as she could in case it turned out to be a one off occurrence.

"Ok, well, um when I was fourteen I got the chicken pox. I was meant to be going to a rugby match with my parents and my brother but I had to stay at home with a babysitter. I begged to be allowed go but mum insisted I stayed at home in bed. We had a massive argument about it and I ended up storming off to my room in a huff. It was the last time I saw her or my brother or father again."

"What happened?" Charlotte asked softly.

"They were in a car accident on the way home, crashed into an articulated lorry. Mum and dad were killed instantly; the front of the car was totally crushed. Patrick, my brother- my twin actually, he made it to the hospital but not through surgery. He died on the table" Izzy finished quietly. Charlotte reached under the table and took her hand, giving it a supportive squeeze.

"I'm really sorry Iz" she consoled.

"Thanks. I, um, I didn't mean to bring a downer on the night, I'll skip over my horrifically angst ridden adolescent years and my rebellious college years and get to the point shall I?" she tried to joke.

"Whatever you want" Charlotte smiled understandingly and waited.

"Ok well basically, I had this epiphany. I realised that the last truly happy memory I had was from way back in 1985 and that it was high time for me to pull myself together and get on with making some new ones" Izzy finished and grinned mischievously.

"Look out Sydney!" Charlotte laughed and raised her glass. Izzy beamed and raised her bottle. "You know, if you need any help with this little endeavour, it would be my pleasure" Charlotte leered.

"It's interesting that you should say that 'cause I when I was lying in my hospital bed I realised something else" Izzy stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah? And what was that?" Charlotte enquired, dumping her straw in favour of taking a long swig straight from the glass.

"I realised that you're damn hot and I should let you take me out for a steak dinner sometime" Izzy smirked as Charlotte choked on the mouthful of cocktail she had just swallowed and started coughing and spluttering into a napkin. Izzy patted her on the back until she finished and regained control of her breathing.

"Oh is that so?" Charlotte managed when she had regained her composure. "What makes you think that I would want splurge my hard earned money on a steak dinner with you?"

"Oh, so you're a cheapskate? Well in that case I suppose I could settle for a Happy Meal, depending on whether or not there's a decent toy included" Izzy teased.

"Well, maybe if you're a good girl" Charlotte teased back.

"It's a date then! I'm free Wednesday. Pick me up from the ED at eight" Izzy winked and raised an arm to flag down a passing waitress. "Another round here please...actually, just run me a tab and keep 'em coming, makes life easier for all of us!" she grinned wickedly. "Ok doc" she turned her attention back to Charlotte and pinned her with a mischievous look "drinking game time. The name of the game is Truth. Here are the rules; you can ask anything you want. If the other person doesn't want to answer then they have to take a drink and by that I mean a good healthy swig, none of this dainty sipping crap" Izzy dictated as the waitress returned with their fresh drinks.

"Fair enough Iz, you talk the talk but do you walk the walk?" Charlotte challenged.

"Oh just bring it on baby!" Izzy countered "You can even go first."

"Ok then hot shot" Charlotte thought for a moment before coming up with a question. "Have you ever been arrested?" She asked the young doctor.

"Twice...no wait, three times" Izzy answered straight away.

"Seriously?! What for?" Charlotte asked in disbelief.

"Hey, it's my turn" Izzy pointed out. She pretended to think for a minute before asking Charlotte the exact same question.

"Yes, once" Charlotte answered hurriedly, wanting to get to her next question. "Ok, my go. What were you arrested for?" she asked again.

"Well, the first time was for breaking and entering. I was locked out of my flat and incredibly drunk so I just kicked in a window and climbed through. A neighbour saw me, got the wrong idea and called the cops. They found me asleep half way through the window. I woke up next morning in a cell and completely freaked out" Izzy laughed. "The second time was disturbing the peace and destruction of property. Myself and some classmates went to a Young Republican election rally type thing on campus and ran amok; I may have burned some posters. It was a good laugh" she recalled fondly.

"You delinquent!" Charlotte chuckled. "What was the third thing?"

"Resisting arrest. I was at home for a cousins wedding and it got a bit rowdy. Someone called the Gardaí. This big muck-savage of a garda from, I dunno, Offaly or somewhere caught me and was trying to get my details and stuff from me. I thought I remembered some weird law that said if you spoke in Irish to a garda then the garda had to too but he just threw me in the drunk-tank instead. I'd like to point out though, that in each of my three brushes with the law, I was never charged with anything, just given a caution or warning" Izzy finished proudly. Charlotte shook her head in mock disapproval. "Ok, same question to you Beaumont; what did you get your ass slung in the clink for?"

"Well, I was on this bus in Turkey..................."

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The in-depth personal questions were fired back between the two women at a rate of knots as the evening progressed. Once they were able to rise above their giddy immaturity and get past the obligatory sordid tales of relationships past, they were able to use the game as a free and easy way of getting to know each other.

"Ok ok, I have one. Favourite movie?" Charlotte demanded, slurring her words ever so slightly.

"Oooh, good question Beaumont!" Izzy slurred back, tilting her bottle towards her friend in a clumsy half-drunken salute. She stared blankly past Charlotte with a slightly glazed expression as she thought of her answer. "The Great Escape" she eventually decided. "What's yours?"

"Gone With The Wind" was Charlotte's immediate response.

"You're kidding?!" Izzy blurted incredulously. "I had no idea you were such a closet sap!"

"Don't tell anyone, its classified information. If anyone asks, my favourite movie is Monty Python's 'The Meaning of Life', which is actually my second favourite. I have a reputation to uphold" Charlotte pantomime whispered across the table.

"I hear ya" Izzy winked and nodded. "Actually, seeing as you were honest with me I'll admit that 'Dirty Dancing is my real favourite movie" Izzy grinned sheepishly.

"Ah so you're a sap too. Don't worry your secret's is safe with me. I have another question if you're ready?" Charlotte enquired tentatively.

"Ready as I'll ever be. Shoot."

"Ok well, what you were saying earlier, about us going on a date, were you serious?" Charlotte mumbled nervously.

"Of course I was being serious. I was, however, only kidding about going to McDonalds. Instead I was thinking we could go somewhere with table linen, actual cutlery and maybe even non-laminated menus."

"Ok, I think I know a place" Charlotte smiled happily and finished off her drink. Izzy did likewise and they both agreed to call it a night. After successfully hailing down two passing taxis, the two exchanged a somewhat awkward hug before heading on their separate ways.

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Izzy glanced at her watch and groaned. It was only 3pm which meant she had another five hours left of her shift. She was down in the ED again, covering an extra shift for another doctor who was attending his daughter's wedding. She had been snowed under all morning dealing with the results of a high school chemistry experiment gone awry- fourteen year ten students with respiratory distress from inhaling noxious fumes. All but two had been treated and discharged and the ED was once again relatively quiet. She kicked herself for speaking too soon as Alex and Scott arrived through the doors, wheeling a trolley containing a gaunt looking man.

"Hello again boys, what poor unfortunate soul have you brought this time?" she called to the two ambos.

"This is Simon Roberts, 28. He collapsed while out running, a passer-by called it in. BP is 134/85, temp. 38, good breath sounds bilaterally. There has been no loss of consciousness and there's no evidence of external injury. He's quite disorientated and confused and his speech is slow and slurred. He started experiencing acute abdominal cramps on the ride over. Also, check out his hands and arms" Alex lifted one of the man's limbs from beneath the blanket covering him for Izzy to examine. It was abnormally swollen.

"Ok guys, bed three please" she directed them. They wheeled the man over and eased him onto the bed. Rebecca joined them and started working up a chart. Once the man was settled Izzy introduced herself and began her examination. She finished quickly and jotted something onto the chart.

"Mister Roberts, I need you to try and focus for me please, I have to ask you some questions ok?" she asked slowly so the confused man could understand. He nodded distractedly. "Ok now listen carefully, how long were you running for today? How many miles?" Izzy enquired.

"Twenty-four" he slurred "training for my first Ironman."

"How has your fluid intake been? What have you been drinking?" Izzy asked again.

"Water, about two litres today. I always drink heaps."

"Ok, good" she turned to Rebecca "what's his temp?"

"38.2" the nurse answered quickly. Izzy nodded thoughtfully. She ran a hand across the man's brow and then along the length of his arm, frowning slightly at the conspicuous lack of moisture.

"Hey Scott, what's the temperature like outside?" she called to the ambo who was filling in paperwork at the desk.

"It's hot and humid, about 98 I'd say" he called back. Izzy shuddered and sent up a quick prayer thanking God for the gift of air conditioning. "Mister Roberts, are you in any pain?" Izzy turned her attention back to her patient.

"My tummy cramps from time and I feel like I want to puke" he answered dazedly.

"Ok, Rebecca; start an IV and hang a small bag of saline. Hook him up for an EKG and run a blood gas, CBC and CHEM7 for now. Put a rush on it and page me when you get the results. Oh and keep him nil by mouth for now" Izzy hung the chart at the end of the bed and headed towards the desk only to be intercepted by Paula, who was taking a shift in the ED for some extra cash.

"Doctor O'Neil, I need you at bed five please, I have a suspected aspirin OD" the blonde nurse informed Izzy, handing over a chart. Izzy sighed and followed her over to the cubicle.

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A half an hour later Rebecca called Izzy over and handed her a page of print-out. "Simon Roberts' tests results" explained, handing over the paper.

"That was quick" Izzy commented, happily surprised.

"Yeah well, one of the lab rats upstairs owed me a favour so I called it in" Rebecca grinned mischievously.

"I'm afraid to ask" Izzy grinned back. "Ok what have we got here then" she thought out loud as she scanned over her runner's blood test results. "His sodium level is only 124 mmol per litre" she read aloud, frowning slightly and handed the print out to Rebecca who quickly read through the numbers.

"That's low, what do you think is causing it?" she asked handing the piece of paper back to the doctor.

"Too much water" Izzy mused, folding the paper as they headed over to the patient.

"Hello again Mr Roberts" she greeted the man "I have your tests results back and they show you are suffering from a condition called Hyponatremia. Have you ever heard of it before?" she enquired. The man thought for a while before finally shaking his head.

"Well, basically what has happened is the level of concentrated sodium in your blood has been reduced. When you were running, you sweated out too much of your body's sodium or salt content. Your body needs salt to move water from your stomach into your bloodstream. Without it, the water just sits there in your gut and bloats your belly. It's a common complaint among long distance endurance athletes such as marathon runners or triathletes" Izzy explained.

"What's going to happen to me?" the man whimpered.

"Don't worry Mr Roberts; it's easily treatable at this point. We're going to give you something called a diuretic which is a urine-producing drug that will get rid of all that water in you belly and an IV solution to replace the lost sodium. We're going to have to insert a foley catheter, which is a sort of flexible plastic tube, through your urethra and into your bladder so we can record your urine output. I'm going to admit you so we can monitor your condition overnight" she explained and turned to the nurse. "Rebecca, let's go with 5mg of lastix and a 3percent salt solution at 45ml per hour and give Ward 17 a buzz, see if they've a free bed." she ordered. The nurse nodded and set off. "Once you're settled in and feeling up to it, I'd be happy to talk to you about proper hydration for when you're training if you like?" Izzy offered. The man nodded eagerly. "Ok well I'll be back to see you soon" she smiled and left Rebecca to it.

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Charlotte listened carefully through her stethoscope as the elderly patient took a deep breath in.

"Good, ok, one more time please Mrs. Newman" she instructed. Satisfied with what she heard, she draped the 'scope around her neck and straightened up. "Well Mrs. Newman, I'm very pleased to tell you that your lungs are clear and you are well enough to go home" she informed the grey haired lady. She stood and smiled patiently while the patient thanked her effusively and nattered on about how her stock-broker son would be picking her up in his brand new and very expensive sports car and how he was a lovely, single young man. Charlotte ignored the obvious attempt at a fix-up and made her exit. She strolled over to the desk and ordered discharge papers from Regina before finding Terri to inform her of Mrs. Newman's status. The NUM was taking a patient handover from ED. Rebecca handed the chart and file over to the dark haired nurse as Matt and another orderly wheeled him onto the ward.

"Is this the marathon man?" Sterlo asked popping up behind the NUM.

"Sterling, this is Mister Roberts he's your patient. And please take the tape off your name badge" Terri handed the paperwork over to the young nurse.

"Yeah yeah" the young nurse mumbled before following the patient to his new home.

"Doctor O'Neil wants to be paged when he's settled in" Rebecca informed Terri before turning and heading back to the ED. The NUM turned to add the latest arrival on the ward to the board. Charlotte popped up behind her.

"Hey Terri, my pneumonia lady in four is ready to be discharged, Regina's getting the papers now" she chirped.

"Ok, thanks" she took the chart from Charlotte. "You're in a good mood" the nurse noted, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"Yes, I am! Thank you for noticing!" Charlotte beamed and skipped off in the direction of the sun room. Terri watched her go, a ghost of a smile on her face.

"Apparently, she has a hot date tonight" Regina supplied helpfully, handing over Mrs. Newman's discharge papers for Terri to sign.

"I see. Well... it's about bloody time" Terri grinned and disappeared into the office leaving Reg, Nelson and Von open-mouthed with surprise behind her.

Charlotte, meanwhile, arrived at the sun-room to find the patient she was looking for.

"Mr. Zanuck, I thought I saw you wander in here. What are you doing out of bed?" she asked the confused man.

"I came to find the waiter, he still hasn't arrived with my scotch!" the old man groused.

"Well how can he find you if you don't stay where you're supposed to?" Charlotte reasoned. "Come on, let's get you back to bed" she took him gently by the elbow and steered him through the door and back onto the ward. She spotted Jared on the way and called him over. "Can you help me here? I need to get him back into bed so I can check his dressings" she asked the nurse. Jared took the man's other elbow and between them they were able to manoeuvre him back to his bed in room four. Jared settled him in and they began the long and tedious process of examining and re-dressing his leg ulcers and bed sores.

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Izzy pulled back the privacy curtain and stepped into the cubicle before pulling it closed behind her.

"Mister Roberts, how are you feeling?" she asked cheerfully, picking up his updated chart and glancing quickly through it.

"Please, call me Simon. I feel much better thanks doc. The cramps have eased and, apart from having a tube stuck up my penis, I feel great!" he finished glibly, flashing two thumbs up for emphasis.

"That's good to hear Simon. So, do feel up to going over some training tips now?" she asked the man who nodded eagerly in reply. She pulled a chair across to alongside the bed and sat down. "Ok, let's talk equipment" she grinned and launched into an animated debate with the patient that covered everything from different types of bike components to the best tasting energy bars on the market. They were brought back to the real world by Sterlo who had come to check on his charge.

"Sorry to interrupt" he apologised.

"No worries mate. Actually it's better that you did or I would have sat here all day and got no work done!" Izzy grinned sheepishly, glancing at her watch. "Ok Simon, I'm going to have Sterlo here take some more blood and a urine sample so we can see how your sodium levels are doing. I have to get back downstairs before all my other patients get jealous" she stood up and pushed the chair back from the bed so Sterlo could get to work.

"Ok doc, catch you later!" Simon smiled and waved, leaning to the side slightly to watch Izzy leave. He raised his arm so Sterlo could put a blood pressure cuff on. "Do you know if she's single mate?" he asked the nurse hopefully.

"Um, well...I think she's kinda spoken for. Sorry" Sterlo replied carefully.

"Ah bugger" the patient cursed good naturedly. "Oh well, you can't blame a bloke for asking right? How about that blonde doc I've seen floatin' around up here?" he pestered. Sterlo suppressed a grin and inflated the cuff.

"Well, I think I can honestly say that you're not her type" was his diplomatic response. He ripped the cuff off and jotted the results down on the chart.

Charlotte grinned from where she had been eavesdropping in the next cubicle. She had been listening with interest to Izzy's conversation with her patient while she was in with Mr. Zanuck. The young doctor was clearly enthusiastic when it came to discussing running and training and Charlotte listened attentively, filing bits and pieces of information away for future reference.

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The rest of the day seemed to fly by and before anyone knew it, the night shift had arrived to take the handover on Ward 17. Charlotte grabbed her stuff from the staff lounge and bade a cheerful farewell to Frances and Jared before heading downstairs. Arriving at the relatively quiet emergency department, she went in search of Izzy. Poking her head around the ED locker room door and, finding who she was looking for, stepped fully in and walked over to where her intended target was rooting in a locker.

"Boo" she leaned in and whispered, causing them to jump and hit their head off the locker's shelf. Izzy spun around, rubbing her forehead where a red mark was already visible.

"Jesus Beaumont, are you trying to give me another concussion or something?" she grumbled at the chuckling doctor.

"What can I say?" Charlotte shrugged "I just can't resist the urge to get you into back into one of those sexy gowns" she finished, grinning as Izzy blushed and closed over her locker door.

"Yeah well, all you had to do was ask nicely" Izzy retorted.

"What happened to you?" Charlotte asked, noticing for the first time the large dark stains covering the front of Izzy's once crisp white shirt.

"Aspirin OD, I got puked on" Izzy scowled.

"How lovely" Charlotte stifled a grin "Are you ready to roll?"

"I sure am! But we're going to have to stop by my place first so I can grab a clean shirt" Izzy pulled at her soiled top.

"Good 'cause you stink!" Charlotte muttered and held the door open for Izzy who shouldered her backpack and shuffled through.

"I heard that!" She called back to the blonde doctor.

"Yeah, you were meant to!" The two doctors strolled side by side out to the car park where Izzy made her way over to a shiny red Jeep Wrangler with a black canvas convertible roof. Pulling the keys from her pocket she hit a button on the alarm remote and the Jeep 'bipped' twice and flashed its lights. Izzy open the rear door and threw her bag in the backseat.

"Where did this thing come from?" Charlotte asked, running her eyes over the length of the brand new machine.

"Oh! Didn't I tell you? I bought this beauty yesterday, that other thing was just a rental" Izzy gave the car a loving stroke before climbing in the driver's side. Charlotte shook her head in disbelief. 'That other thing' had been a nearly new Japanese import sports car. "Aren't you coming?" Izzy shouted out from the car, halting Charlotte's train of thought.

"You betcha!" She pulled herself up into the raised vehicle and slammed the door shut. It closed with a heavy 'thud'. Izzy crunched through the gears and, tyres spinning and kicking up dust, tore out of the car park.

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Twenty minutes later Izzy bounced the SUV up over the curb and onto her drive way, coming to an abrupt halt inches away from the garage door. She had spent the ride home giving Charlotte a detailed dissertation on how, by using a special device that the blonde doctor couldn't recall the name for, she could copy all the MP3's from her computer and play them on her car stereo. Charlotte had feigned interest, making the occasional appropriate 'ooh' and 'ah' noises. She had no idea what Izzy was talking about and made a mental not to ask Matt what an 'MP3' and a 'subwoofer' was.

She waited in the living room and flicked through a magazine while she waited for Izzy to change into something a little less stained and putrid. The young doctor reappeared a few minutes later clad in a fitted t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Charlotte had told her to keep it casual but wouldn't divulge any further information pertaining to their destination for the evening.

"Ok I'm all set!" She declared. "How about we get going to this mystery dining establishment, I'm starving."

"Let's go then" Charlotte stood and followed Izzy back out to the car.

The blonde doctor gave directions while Izzy alternately hummed and sang along to the radio. Charlotte puzzled over the range of music noting, as the loud, bass heavy hip-hop track faded into what sounded suspiciously like Fleetwood Mac, that Izzy seemed to have wide and varied tastes. After a short drive, they arrived at their destination.

"The Barrio" Izzy read the neon green sign above the door.

"I hope you like Mexican?" Charlotte enquired.

"Is the Pope a bleedin' Catholic?" Izzy asked rhetorically, practically barging through the door.

"I'll take that as a yes" Charlotte rolled her eyes before following in Izzy's path. A moustachioed waiter with slicked back hair and a heavy accent showed them to a table out in a courtyard to the rear of the restaurant and gave them their menus. They each took a few minutes to peruse the selection of dishes.

"Wanna get the Nacho Platter to share as a starter?" Charlotte suggested after a few minutes.

"Sure. What are you going to have for the main course?" Izzy asked, peering over the top of her menu.

"I think I'm gonna go with the Chicken Salsa Fajitas" Charlotte decided.

"Mmmm, sounds good. I'm getting me some of the Jambalaya" Izzy folded the menu and glanced over to where the waiter was hovering. He caught her signal and sauntered over to the table, pen and pad at the ready. Before he could open his mouth Izzy rattled off their orders in perfect Spanish. The waiter was taken aback at first but recovered swiftly and jotted the orders down. He took a few moments to chat with Izzy, happy to converse in his native tongue, before returning to the kitchen. Charlotte watched the whole exchange, mouth slightly open in surprise.

"What?" Izzy asked nonchalantly.

"You speak Spanish?" Charlotte asked, clearly interested.

"Spanish, Italian, French, Irish, English" she replied nonchalantly "oh and American" she finished jokingly before shifting uncomfortably under the pointed look of disbelief on Charlotte's face.

"Wow! Where did you learn all of that?"

"Well my mum was Italian, that's where I got the name. Isabella isn't exactly the most common of Irish names" Izzy clarified. Charlotte's mind skipped back to the family photo on Izzy's dressing table and she tried to picture the older woman whom she assumed to be Izzy's mother. Her photographic memory supplied the image of the dark haired, dark skinned woman and it all clicked into place.

"Ok that explains the Italian but what about the rest?" she pressed further.

"I did French and Irish in school and I learnt Spanish at Uni. One of my room mates was from Belize and I taught her English in return for her teaching me Spanish" Izzy explained. "But enough about me tell me more about your travels. Did you really get camel-jacked in Tunisia?" Izzy chuckled, recalling one of the more colourful stories she'd heard about the blonde doctor through the trusty hospital rumour mill.

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They continued to chat easily about this and that, only pausing occasionally to savour the delicious cuisine. Once they had finished, Charlotte suggested going for a walk to work off some of the calories they had just consumed with much gusto. After a brief argument over the bill (Izzy wanted to pay for everything, Charlotte wouldn't let her) they made their way across to a small park that was lit up by strings of fairy lights. The night was warm and there were a few people out walking and running. The two doctors strolled along the path in comfortable silence for before finding a wooden bench to sit on for a while.

"Dinner was delicious, thanks for bringing me here" Izzy commented after a while.

"It was my pleasure. I was thinking next time we could try this new Thai place that's just opened near me?" Charlotte suggested hopefully.

"Why Doctor Beaumont, are you asking me for another date?" Izzy asked in her best Scarlet O'Hara impression.

"I might be" was Charlotte's coy response. "Are you accepting?"

"I might be" Izzy mimicked cheekily. They both laughed. "Of course I'm accepting" Izzy declared once they'd both regained their composure. She smiled shyly before leaning over and giving Charlotte a sweet peck on the cheek.

"That's all I get?" Charlotte teased "one teeny-weeny kiss on the cheek?"

Izzy rolled her eyes in response. She waited for Charlotte to look away before leaning back in and nailing her with a searing full on the lips kiss. The blonde doctor was caught totally off guard and hesitated a moment before relaxing and enjoying the kiss. After a few moments Izzy pulled back.

"Better?" she asked cockily, grinning at Charlotte's slightly dazed expression.

"Yes...much" was the stuttered response. Izzy reached down and took Charlotte's hand, threading their fingers together.

"I've wanted to that for a very long time" she confessed.

"Well, feel free to do it again, anytime you like" Charlotte waggled her eyebrows suggestively. Izzy was about to take the good doctor up on her offer when the still night air was shattered by the sounds of two beepers going off simultaneously. Charlotte rooted through her purse for her pager while Izzy reached around and unhooked hers from her belt. She angled it towards the light and squinted at the display screen and groaned. It was All Saints. Charlotte eventually dug hers out and made a similar noise of irritation upon seeing the message.

"It must be a pretty serious trauma if they're paging off-duty doctors" Izzy groused. "We better get going I suppose." She stood up and stretched before turning and offering Charlotte a hand up. "Come on Beaumont, let's go put Humpty Dumpty back together again" she sighed. Charlotte allowed herself to be pulled up from the bench and smiled when Izzy didn't let go of her hand once she was standing. They made their way hurriedly through the park and out to the car.

"I'm hoping we can continue our conversation later?" Izzy asked hopefully as she clicked her seatbelt into place.

"You mean the conversation giving you unlimited permission to kiss me senseless at any time you see fitting?" Charlotte smiled. Izzy nodded vigorously. "Count on it hot stuff" the blonde doctor winked. Izzy smirked triumphantly and put the car in reverse before turning it and driving off in the direction of All Saints Western General Hospital.

THE END

So that's it for now anyway. Hope you enjoyed the story and thanks for reading!! Spooky :OP


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